


The Fourth

by bear_bell



Category: Cowboy Bebop
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-03-17
Updated: 2016-06-27
Packaged: 2018-05-27 04:51:46
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,557
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6270295
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bear_bell/pseuds/bear_bell
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Edward sees Spike and she grows up within a moment. She knows she isn't exactly Spike's kind of girl, though, so she decides she needs to make some changes.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Session 1

Edward couldn't remember ever wanting anything. When she thought about it, the only memories she could dredge up revolved around food. And really, food was a human necessity. If her body didn't need food, Edward wondered if she would want it.

Spike slowly stood, and Edward remembered the question.

Had she ever really wanted anything?

Edward remembered initially searching for the Bebop and then tracking the ship until the ship and its crew finally arrived on Earth. She remembered their attempted escape, and she remembered hacking their systems and forcing a turn-around.

The memory was hazy, and she immediately knew that the day wasn't the same as this moment, the last few moments.

Edward couldn't remember any distinct time before the Bebop. It was as if she was born a teenager. Edward knew she had family. She knew she had traveled Earth. She knew she had traveled beyond Earth, then back to Earth. She knew she had met people, fantastic and wonderful people. She knew there had been adventures. She knew there had been fun.

Yet, all she really knew was of the Bebop, and now she understood why.

* * *

 Edward followed Spike into the dining area. When he slid into a seat, she climbed into the seat across from him.

Then, she looked at him.

His shirt was open, so she could see his blood-stained bandages. Some of the blood even soaked through the light fabric of the shirt he wore. His sleeves were rolled up, like they usually were, and Edward could see the bandages surrounding one of the nastier wounds above his wrist. After patching that wound, Jet had raged about infection for an hour.

Despite his wounds, Spike's face was impassive. He calmly smoked his cigarette, and he only indicated his discomfort when he fidgeted with some bandages near his temple. His dark hair was unwashed, unkempt, and it seemed wilder than usual. There were still clumps of blood at the edge of his hairline that Faye hadn't washed away while she was cleaning him up after the fight.

"What are you looking at?" Spike snapped at Edward.

Edward had never felt the need to hide anything before. She spoke her mind when she liked. She said every thought that came to her. However, she now felt that some sense of discretion was required. Edward didn't believe that Spike would appreciate it if she told him what was on her mind.

But then lying wasn't something Edward had ever done, and she was especially uncomfortable with the idea of lying to Spike, so she avoided his question altogether and asked, "Why do you get hurt so often?"

The reminder of his wounds did nothing to improve Spike's mood. "Jet says it's because I don't have any sense of self-preservation."

"Is Jet right?" Edward asked.

Spike scowled at the girl. It had been a long time since someone had truly asked him about his actions. When Jet or Faye asked him questions, they were more accusatory than curious.

"Of course not. I'm still here, aren't I?" Spike finally answered before taking another long drag from his cigarette.

"Then why?" Edward repeated.

Spike shrugged at her, the movement aggravating some of his injuries. "What can I say? I like a good fight, and I can't duck every bullet."

"Is that why your eyes are different colors?" Edward asked.

Her question startled Spike, and he paused to stare at her from a moment.

"Yes," he said.


	2. Session 2

Spike, Spike, Spike. Spike, Spike, Spike. Spike, Spike, Spike.

"What do you think, Ein?" Edward asked. She threw herself down onto the iron floor, swung her legs over the ledge and looked down at Spike. He lay on the faded yellow couch, asleep. From her high angle perched on the upper landing, Edward had a good view of his long, slender form, his wide chest, and his sharp profile.

At Edward's question, Ein sat next to Edward and looked through the railing at the sleeping Spike.

"He's a good human, right?"

Edward didn't know what a good human consisted of, and she didn't know how to decide if Spike was a good human, so she gave it some serious thought.

Spike never hurt her. Not physically, anyways. And the mean things he said never really upset her. He certainly didn't speak to Edward the way he spoke to Faye. And he tolerated Edward's eccentricities more than the rest of the Bebop's crew did. Spike didn't go out of his way for her, sure, but he didn't go out of his way for anyone. Still, when he did interact with Edward, Spike wasn't cruel.

Edward realized she was thinking in circles, and there had to be something else that was good about the man.

Was Spike a good person when he drank? Was he a good person when he smoked? Was he a good person when he irritated Faye, or when he left Jet to do most of the work around the ship?

Edward decided not to kid herself. She knew why she liked Spike. She liked him because he had long fingers, a defined chest, a sharp jaw, and cool eyes. Good had nothing to do with it.

Still, it would be nice if the man had some positive traits.

After racking her brain, Edward decided that Spike took care of his star ship. While Jet had to do most of the repairs on the ship, Spike still knew his way around the Swordfish's engine, and he preformed tune-ups on the ship regularly.

Edward also admired Spike for finishing what he started.

Edward wondered if she could count that last one as a positive trait, though. As she studied the bandages around his chest, she remembered the situation which led to his injuries - Spike and Jet had gone after a bounty and they'd gotten into a tussle with the man. The bounty escaped, and Spike was roughed up with a few bruised ribs. He should have stayed behind on the Bebop to recuperate while Faye and Jet finished the job, but by then Spike was worked up. He insisted on helping capture the bounty. The man fought just as violently the second time as he had the first time, and Spike's sore ribs slowed him down, and he ended up with two bullets in his chest.

After considering Spike's predicament, Edward thought of the man who hurt Spike to begin with. He was in jail, and the Bebop crew had received a hefty bounty for him.

Yes. Spike made to finish what he started.

(Edward pointedly ignored the little voice in the back of her mind which told her he only finished what he started because he was stubborn and had a penance for revenge, and those couldn't be considered positive traits.)

When she was done deliberating, Edward looked to Ein. The dog was staring at her the same way he often stared at Faye.

"Yeah," Edward agreed. "But I think I'll give it a try anyways."

Edward knew perfectly well that liking Spike would involve more than a simple "try." But then, Edward wanted this. She had never wanted anything before, but she wanted this. She wanted Spike.

While she was looking down at Spike, Edward decided that even if it took more than a try, she would have Spike.

* * *

When Edward began to see Spike differently, she decided that she had to look at the rest of the Bebop crew differently, as well. She thought it was only fair. Therefore, when she sat down to dinner, she looked, really looked, at the people sitting with her at the table.

She had lived with these people for almost four years, so she knew about them. She knew that Spike caused all the trouble, but Faye was the true antagonistic figure within the crew. She also knew that Jet was the one who took care of the other Bebop members, and he was the only one who was really attached to the other crew members and their lifestyle.

Beyond that, though, she didn't know them. Edward recognized that really knowing these people was somehow dangerous, but she also thought that it was about time she introduced a little danger into her life. After all, she was looking to hang around Spike, and he was about as dangerous as dangerous got.

"Forget work," Faye said as she gracelessly shoveled food into her mouth. "We've got money-"

"What you mean is that you've got money for a few good days in the casinos," Jet snapped. "Just because we have enough to eat for a while doesn't mean we can just stop working! The bounties are hot right now! We need the money for the Bebop, for your Redtail, for Spike's Swordfish, for my Hammerhead, for the kitchen stove, for a new septic system, to replace the television after you-"

Faye leaned across the table, her eyes meeting Jet's. "Okay," she said. "Obviously, Spike is out, which mean's I'll be doing his half."

Jet's eye twitched. "What do you want?"

"My zip-craft get's the first tune-up. And I want my own bathroom."

"Forget about it," Jet snapped. "I'll set up a second bathroom, but you don't get dibs."

"Fine," Faye answered, leaning back in her chair with a flip of her glossy hair. "You can get the bounties on your own."

"Look you-"

"I'll help you, Jet," Edward announced, sitting straiter in her seat.

The room fell quiet as three pairs of eyes locked on the seventeen-year-old girl.

"You?" Faye asked.

"Edward," Jet sighed, "we need you for intel and tracking. You stay here-"

"But Spike can't do any work," Edward argued. "And Faye wants to go to the races. I can help! Besides, this way, none of the money goes to the casinos-"

"Now wait a minuet-" Faye interrupted.

"You're too young," Jet announced, and he shook his head. "I will not have you getting mixed up with that lot when you're only fourteen-"

"I'm seventeen!" Edward argued. "And my birthday is in four months! I'm old enough-"

"No!" Jet snapped. "You can't take care of yourself! And I'm not giving you a-a gun, or-"

"She can use mine," Spike suggested.

"Don't encourage this!" Jet snapped at the man.

"What if Faye goes, too?" Edward asked. "Then can I go? And I'll just watch or something. Just to see how it's done."

"Too dangerous," Jet said gruffly while shaking his head.

"I know how to take care of myself!" Edward argued. "I take care of myself all the time, whenever I go away from the Bebop. And I've dealt with bounties before!"

"She's got a point," Spike told Jet. "And Faye will be doing the work, not her-"

"You be quiet! You're just trying to cause trouble!" Jet snapped.

"She's eventually going to join in anyways," Spike continued. "I mean, it's not like we're sending her to school. What else do you expect her to do? Plus, the sooner she starts, the better she'll be."

"And when did you start, Spike?" Faye snapped, "Since you're so great?"

Spike shrugged, otherwise ignoring Faye's comment as he continued with his meal.

"Come on, Jet! I won't get involved, and Faye will be there-"

"Fine! But you stay away," Jet demanded. "You know how messy bounties can get. And Faye, you have to help me keep an eye on her."

"I never agreed to this," Faye snapped. "You know my demands-"

"You aren't getting a private bathroom!" Jet declared.

"What if I share it with her?" Edward proposed. "You know, a girl's bathroom and a guy's bathroom?"

"I like that!" Spike told Jet. He stared pointedly at Faye. "I'll even help you set up a separate water heater."

Faye flipped her hair behind her ear. "Beauty takes time, Lunkhead. But what would you know about beauty? Or cleanliness, for that matter? When was the last time you showered?"

"I don't know," Spike told her. "Before I was shot twice?"

"Then it's settled!" Jet said, his voice rising over Spike's and Faye's. "Faye will work, Edward will come, and the girls will get their own bathroom."

At this announcement, Faye leaned back in her chair, a wide, cocky smirk spreading across her face. When Edward caught her eye, Faye gave the girl a wink. Edward knew that the wink was a special wink just between the two of them. Faye never winked at Jet or Spike.

"Hey," Jet said, looking up from his plate. "Are you really seventeen?"

"Sure," Edward answered.

Jet grumbled unhappily towards his food. Edward recognized small phrases such as "too long," "too old," "this great lot," and so on.

"You're almost a woman!" Faye declared. "Why didn't you tell me? I'll need to take you shopping – after you've helped catch a few bounties, of course. I can show you the town and-"

"Ed doesn't need to learn how to be a woman from you," Spike told Faye. "One wench is enough for this ship."

"Oh, and I guess you can tell her what's up, then?"

"Don't be a bad influence, Faye," Jet demanded. "If she comes back to the ship and starts wearing shorts like yours, I'll drop you off at a convent."

Spike laughed, but Faye grumbled a sour, "Don't joke."

"Who's joking?" Jet returned.


	3. Session 3

"It's all about style, kid," Faye told Edward as she pushed her headband into her hair. When Faye was done studying her own appearance in the mirror, she threw a brush to Edward. "Your head can't look like a mop, or these guys won't respect you. Plus, if you look feminine, they'll be surprised when you kick their asses."

Edward flinched as she pulled the brush through her tangled hair. Then, she pondered over Faye's advice.

Finally, Edward decided Faye was contradicting herself. Was Faye looking for respect, or was she hoping that guys would see her as a weak, meek woman?

Still, Edward understood that looks were important. Even the guys spent time on their style. Spike shaved every morning, and Jet always made sure people saw the metal patch on his face and his mechanical arm when he met them.

Faye wanted to look smart and tough, like the guys did. But she was over-exaggerating her sexuality, too, and some of the effect was lost.

Still, Faye caught plenty of bounties, and the guys always set her up as bait, so her style was useful for something, even if it wasn't the kind of something Edward wanted.

"Oh, Edward," Faye sighed. "Don't you ever use conditioner?"

Edward looked into the mirror, and she frowned at her reflection. Half of her head was it's usual wild, knotted mess of hair. On the other half, her hair was unusually flat on top and unusually snagged at their ends. Hygiene had never, ever been a concern for her. Apparently, if she wanted to grow up, she would have to begin actually washing her hair when she showered.

"Let's just go put your head in the sink. You can use my shampoo and conditioner," Faye suggested.

Edward couldn't help but drag her feet as Faye led her towards the bathroom.

"And when was the last time you had your hair cut?" Faye asked. "It looks like you used a rusty knife on yourself."

Edward had used a rusty knife.

Edward reached back and felt her hair. She only cut it when she left the _Bebop_ , because she sometimes got fleas when she was living on her own. When she went back to the _Bebop_ , though, she allowed it to grow again. So then how long had it been since her last trip away from the ship?

Edward realized it had been a year.

This revelation was startling. She had never spent an entire strait year on the _Bebop_ before. She usually only stayed for about five or six months before going off on her own (or with Ein) and enjoying some solo adventuring time. Yet, during the past year, going on another adventure had never even crossed Edward's mind.

"Where are some scissors?" Faye called from the kitchen for a third time.

"They should be in there," Jet called from his place in front of his computer. "Why does she even need scissors?" he grumbled to himself after he'd answered the question again.

"Faye's going to cut my hair so it doesn't look like it's been cut with a rusty knife anymore," Edward informed him.

Jet looked up from the computer screen, blinking. "When did your hair get so long? When did it get so flat?"

"It's been growing for a year," Edward informed him. "I just never wash it, so it was all tangled, is all. Faye made me brush it."

"Is that what you've been doing all afternoon?" Jet scoffed. "Faye's been giving you a make-over?"

"Well, yeah. Faye says that if I'm going to be a bounty hunter, I have to look good," Edward explained. "Isn't that right?"

"Edward, appearance isn't even half of it," Jet sighed. "It's all about the research. I've been looking for you all afternoon so you could help me track the guy we're looking for."

Now, Edward laughed. "I already know all about the research part of it-"

"You don't," Jet argued. "You only know about the electronic search. We're going to have to search for this guy on foot, you know? You'll need to learn how to interview people, you'll need to learn to find your way around unfamiliar cities, you'll need to make connections-"

"Like your friend Bob and Spike's friend Laughing Bull?" Edward asked. She knew Bob personally, because Ed was always the person who answered his calls. Laughing Bull, though, was someone Edward had only heard of.

"Um…" Jet said. "Kind of. But you get the point, right? You need to spend your time searching for the guy rather than making yourself look nice for when you catch him."

"Hey!" Faye snapped as she came into the living area. "Looks are an important part of the searching for the guy, too! People talk to me all the time."

"I'm not encouraging Edward to dress like you," Jet snapped. "And people don't 'talk to you all the time.' You hardly ever do the foot work. You only ever show up when it's time to shoot your gun-"

"Hey!" Spike called from the hall. "Are you going after a bounty tonight?"

"Yeah," Jet told him. "Why?"

"Can you drop by the hardware store while you're out? We'll need to replace some of these pipes. They haven't been used in years."

"Yeah," Jet grumbled. To Faye, he said, "You'd better pull your weight this time, Valentine. This bathroom of yours is turning expensive."

* * *

 

 

"Can my tomato fit?" Edward asked as Jet arranged his supplies.

"It should fit under your seat," he said simply as he began loading equipment into his star ship.

"You're not riding with me?" Faye asked with a frown.

"Your zip-craft is too small," Edward told her. "And my legs would be cramped."

"I guess," Faye pouted. To Jet, she asked, "Is there going to be a lot of foot work with this one?"

"Yeah," he answered. "There's a chance we won't even find him tonight." Looking at Edward, Jet grinned. "You chose a safe night to start. We shouldn't see too much action."

"Hey, Edward," Faye called from beside her zip-craft. "Go pack some snacks or grab some food money or something. It will probably be a long night."

Edward nodded, then hurried to do as Faye commanded. As she passed by _Swordfish_ , Spike said, "Hey."

Edward stopped next to him. She forgot all about getting snacks when he took her attention.

"Hey!" Edward greeted. "How long have you been there? I-"

"Hush," Spike demanded, his voice low. "If Jet finds out I'm doing this, he'll scalp me."

"Doing wha-"

Spike reached behind his back and pulled his Jericho from under his shirt.

The metal was still warm from his skin when he dropped it into Edward's hands.

"What?" she asked.

"Don't believe Jet when he says it'll be a slow night," Spike demanded. "People get upset real fast when they find out there's a bounty hunter near-by, and people are never predictable when they're upset."

"But… I don't know how to shoot a gun," Edward told him.

"It's not loaded," Spike scoffed. "It's a bluff."

Edward suddenly felt much better about holding the gun. If it wasn't loaded, she wouldn't kill anyone.

"But a gun is still a tall bluff," Spike told her, "and you have to be smart about pulling it out and waving it around at people, got it?"

"Yeah-"

"I mean it," Spike said, leaning down to fully meet Edward's eyes. "Be smart."

That was rich advice coming from the guy who had had more bullets in him than he had teeth.

Still, Edward nodded at him, and when she was walking towards the kitchen, she replayed the whole conversation in her head.

By the time she had made sandwiches for the road, Edward was telling herself that when Spike said "Be smart," he was really telling her "Be careful."


	4. Session 4

Jet took a square hit in the jaw, and Faye had been thrown clear over a table and into the hard edge of the bar. Edward often saw the members of the Bebop come back to the ship bruised. However, she never thought to ask how they got those bruises. She only cared when someone (usually Spike) got shot or stabbed.

"Is it always like that?" Edward asked Jet as they flew towards the Bebop.

"What?" Jet asked.

"Do they always fight like that?" Edward asked.

"Oh. Yeah. Usually. We go for the big bounties. That means we go after the guys who've committed pretty bad crimes and they have a lot at stake. The cheaper bounties are usually a little more spineless, and they cave when you point a gun at them. Of course, this stuff also gets violent when you actually walk in on a crime."

Jet was talking fine, despite his split lip. And even though there was a nasty blue and yellow bruise spreading across the skin of her waist, Faye's hips swayed when she dropped their bounty off at the jail.

Was that what Faye really meant when she was talking about appearance? At one point during the fight, Edward was sure Faye would have her arm broken. Yet, the woman now walked strait with her head held high.

"I'll tell you something about big bounties, Edward," Jet said. "A busted lip is worth the 300,000 woolongs we got for that guy."

 

* * *

 

"Hey, kid, you going shopping with me or what?" Faye called.

Edward blinked, and her concentration broke. Suddenly, she wasn't swimming through cyberspace, but was drowning in it, instead. Before the sudden onslaught of directionless information could make her sick, Edward shoved her goggles down from her eyes to rest around her neck.

She wasn't used to being interrupted from her net diving, yet these interruptions were become increasingly frequent.

Ed opened her mouth to tell Faye no when the older woman set a vice-like grip on Edward's upper arm and physically dragged her away from her Tomato.

"We're going out!" Faye informed Jet as they passed by the kitchen.

"Will you be back for dinner?" Jet called.

"No!" Faye answered simply as she moved towards the hanger, Edward stumbling along beside her.

"What are we going shopping for?" Edward asked Faye.

"Well we're going to a spa, first," Faye answered. "We're getting the full treatment, and we'll get you some product for your hair. I mean, you can't use my shampoo and conditioner. Your hair is so much thicker than mine, and the color – you'll need something different than what I use. Then we'll go shopping – do you even own a bra?"

"A bra?" Edward asked, looking down at herself. Edward supposed she had begun growing up a while ago, but she hadn't grown up that much.

"What rock have you been living under?" Faye asked. "Come on, kid. I have a lot more work to do with you than I thought."

 

* * *

 

Edward studied Faye closely. Three men were looking at her in that moment. Ed briefly wondered if they looked at the tall woman because of how low cut her black dress was, but then Edward decided it was because of the way Faye was gently swaying her hips to the music.

Edward mocked the woman's movements for only a few moments before she came back to herself. After all, Edward didn't doubt that with enough practice, she could move just like Faye and gain just as much attention.

But Edward wanted Spike's attention, and Faye's way wasn't the way to catch that man's eye. Edward knew just what Spike thought of Faye's attitude and style.

Still, there was something to Faye's methods, and Edward wondered what it was.

Edward watched as Faye manipulated a man into buying her a drink. Edward noticed the ring on the man's finger, and then she noticed that the man wasn't really interested in Faye. At least, he wasn't interested in Faye as far as cheating on his wife went. But now he was leaning towards Faye and giving her a friendly smile which only hinted at flirtation. They were talking, and the man looked like he was enjoying himself.

Then, the waiter came and placed two salads on the table in front of Edward.

Faye, noticing the movement at their table, gave the man a wave as she carried her drink from the bar. The man replied with a friendly farewell, then turned back to the sports game playing on the television above the bar.

Faye was scowling.

"What's the matter?" Edward asked when Faye sat down.

"I hate meeting good men," Faye answered sourly as she stabbed a fork into her salad. "The very idea is contradicting to the nature of the word man."

Edward looked to the man still sitting at the bar.

Ed had met plenty of good men. Jet was a good man. Ed's father was a good man. Spike was- Well, Jet was a good man. And Ed had met other good men while she traveled.

"Why don't you like meeting good men?" Edward asked.

Faye appeared taken aback by the question, and her eyes became sharp. Faye was suddenly very aware – aware of the conversation, aware of where they were, and aware of herself.

"Well," she said, "Because nothing good ever lasts."

"Never?" Ed asked.

"Never," Faye confirmed.

Jet whistled when he saw the girls. "I guess you two had a good time. Edward, you didn't spend all of your money, did you?"

"Yes!" Edward declared proudly.

"Faye, you can't teach her the same irresponsible habits as yours," Jet began with a sigh. "You can't let her-"

"She spent all the money on junk for her computer, Jet," Faye interrupted. "I wanted to go spend it on another two hours at the spa."

"You spent it on your computer?" Jet asked stupidly.

"Sure!" Edward answered. "I got a second server, and a security program I can use as a base for a new hacking program."

"Um," Jet began.

"And we brought souvenirs!" Ed stated while holding up a bag.

"Is it food?" Spike asked as he came into the living area from the kitchen. He already had a sandwich in his hands.

"Yes," Edward told him.

"Let's see then-" Jet began, but Faye placed herself between Jet's suddenly greedy expression and the bag of food.

"No way," Faye snapped. "It's for lunch tomorrow. Spike's going to grill-"

"Is it steak?" Spike asked. "Let's see."

"Forget it!" Faye snapped. "We're saving it for when we're on Ganymede tomorrow."

"Why do we have to wait for Ganymede?" Spike immediately argued. "Do you know how long I've been waiting for a steak, or any sort of real meat at all, for that matter?"

"We're saving it for Ganymede because there's nothing to do in that place!"

"Nothing to do?" Jet snapped. "The whole reason we're setting down is so we can get new parts for the Bebop, and for your Red Tail, and just who do you think is going to be spending the better part of the next week installing those brand new parts in your Red Tail-"

"Oh, please," Faye said flippantly. "I've been pulling my weight-"

"You've been wasting money again-"

The bickering was drowned out by the sound of the television. Spike, bored with the common topic and suddenly frustrated with his cheese and lettuce sandwich, had gone to sit on the couch and was now glaring at the flickering screen. Edward briskly dropped her bags and went to join him.

"Ed, you can't leave the meat out, you have to put it into refrigeration!" Faye cried.


	5. Chapter 5

Edward watched a familiar process.

Jet cut the bandages away from Spike, then washed the Blue Goop away from the stitches. Edward examined the wounds from afar.

Spike was healing quickly. Of course, that was the Blue Goop's doing. Soon, there wouldn't even be a scar to indicate that a bullet had ripped through the man's skin.

"They still look pretty messy," Jet told Spike, "But you're mostly healed." At the end of his statement, Jet grabbed for the basic healing supplies and began to reapply Blue Goop to Spike's wounds. "We'll be able to take out the stitches tomorrow, I think."

"But I'm good for now?" Spike asked.

"Sure… Why?" Jet asked suspiciously, his eyes narrowed.

"I've got business," Spike stated.

"Business, huh?" Jet asked. "In that case, you can take the kid along-"

"Now hold on a minuet," Spike immediately began to argue.

"No, you hold on," Jet snapped back. "You're the one who was all for letting Edward in on the bounties, and if it's business you're well enough to take care of when you're still busted up, then it's business you can take Ed along for. Besides, it may have slipped your mind, but I haven't forgotten those fat stakes the girls brought home yesterday, and if I'm working maintenance, then you're working grill. I want you back for lunch, got it?"

"Yeah, I got it," Spike grumbled irritably.

When Spike looked to Edward, his eyes were unusually dark.

Spike's Swordfish wasn't built for two people, let alone two people and Edward's Tomato.

"Where do you put your equipment when you're hunting a bounty?" Edward asked as she folded herself to fit behind the pilot's seat. Her legs were mashed up against her chest, and she braced her arms awkwardly on the sides of the cockpit.

"I don't use many electronics to hunt bounties," Spike answered.

"Really?" Ed asked. "Jet uses all sorts of stuff."

"Jet does his work a different way than I do," Spike explained. "He does work the police way."

"Faye has a lot of equipment, too, though," Edward argued.

"Faye does her work the wrong way."

"How is it wrong?" Edward asked. The Swordfish gave a sharp jerk as it took off and flew away from the Bebop.

"It's wrong because it isn't work. Faye's skill lies in making other people do work for her," Spike explained.

"What kind of way do you do your work?" Ed asked.

Spike shrugged. "I do it my way."

That answer was very much like Spike, and Edward couldn't keep from rolling her eyes.

"Well, what kind of bounty is this?" Edward asked. "Jet say's there are cheep bounties and big bounties."

"This is a big bounty," Spike said shortly.

"Oh," Edward said quietly. She wondered if Spike was up to a big bounty, what with his wounds. Sure, he was getting better quick, but not quickly enough that he was ready for a big bounty.

The Swordfish landed at the edge of a port town, and Spike helped Edward out of the ship.

"This way," Spike immediately commanded, and Edward followed him into town. He seemed to be headed someplace specific.

Soon, they arrived at a small, bright diner and took a booth in the corner.

It wasn't the kind of place Edward thought a bounty would be. Edward knew from experience that it was easiest to hide in a crowd, and she thought that whoever was hiding in this tiny little town, isolated from any major populations, was an idiot.

Still, it was a beautiful day on Ganymede, and the port's small population ensured that there was no noise pollution. The tall windows let in plenty of light, and the overhead lights didn't even have to be turned on.

The people inside the diner were perfect for the town and this sun. They sat in twos and threes around tables and booths, most of them fishermen or dock faces were clear in the sunlight, and they kept quiet conversations. Two older women sat next to each other at the counter, gossiping over coffee.

It was all very... calm.

"Edward?" Spike asked, his voice just as quiet as the people murmuring in the tables around them.

"Yeah?"

"Where did you go whenever you left the Bebop?" he asked.

No one ever asked Edward where she went. She heard the other Bebop members gang up on each other regarding absences and missed call ins all the time, but no one ever demanded an explanation from Edward.

"I-I don't know. I went all over the place," Edward answered. "I'm pretty sure I've been to Mars and Venus, even Neptune once, but usually Earth. Earth was always a good place to go to because it was such a mess. It's a good place to hide."

"Who were you hiding from?" Spike asked.

"No one," Edward said simply. "I mean, I'm Radical Edward, so I've always had to keep a look-out for police. The ISSP hasn't had a solid track on me in ages, though. It's mostly a game. I went on great adventures, and you need an enemy in adventures, so I made one, and then I hid from them. It was a great excuse to keep moving and keep exploring."

Spike was frowning at her words.

"What's the matter?" Edward asked, studying Spike's eyes and his frown.

"When I was your age, I had already grown up," he answered. "I didn't have adventures or play games. I only hid."

"Then what were you hiding from?" Edward asked.

"When I was your age? I guess I was hiding from the police, too," he told her.

* * *

When he walked into the diner, he moved strait towards their table.

At first, he looked like he fit in with the other patrons of the diner. He wore thick working boots, old jeans, a faded button-up shirt, and a cap over his long hair. However, when he slid into the booth next to Edward, she could tell just how much he wasn't like the people who lived and worked of this small fishing town. While the workers of the town sat hunched and slightly bowed from years of hard work, this man sat strait and proud. When he drummed his fingers on the tabletop, Edward noticed that his fingers were thin and long. Although he had calluses, they weren't from working nets.

"Who's your friend?" the man asked Spike. The words were sharp and clear, unlike the drawling speech of the workers who frequented the diner. He held his hand out, and Spike gave him his last cigarette.

"She works with me on the Bebop," Spike explained as he handed over a lighter, as well.

"I thought Faye was the only woman you lived with," the man answered, the right corner of his lip turning upwards in a mocking leer.

Then, Edward knew.

Spike brought Edward to meet Vicious.

Edward was sure the man was dead. She hadn't been on the Bebop when it happened, but she remembered returning to the Bebop to find the ship in disrepair and Spike still healing from a nasty encounter with Vicious and the Red Dragons. She remembered how unhappy Spike was, how much he drank. She recalled Jet and Faye fighting. Faye said it wasn't fair. Jet said that if Vicious wasn't already dead, he'd hunt the man down and kill him again.

Jet didn't usually make mistakes about people being dead.

"Why'd you bring her?" Vicious asked Spike, motioning to the girl he sat next to in the booth.

"Jet made me bring her," Spike answered easily.

"So now you're only the babysitter?" Vicious mocked.

"She's old enough to look after herself," Spike told Vicious. "And she's provided you with a solution to your problem."

"What's that?" Vicious pressed, leaning over the table towards Spike.

"Earth. She pointed out that the planet is a mess. No one could follow you there."

"You're hiding from something?" Edward asked, inserting herself into the conversation.

Vicious took a long inhale from his cigarette instead of giving Edward any sort of response.

"You should go to sector seventy-two. There are territory wars there all the time, and it has the greatest concentration of debris in the atmosphere, so no one knows what's up or down there. No one there'd notice you, and even if they did, they wouldn't care."

"You think it would be easy for me to blend in?" Vicious asked. He set his arm across the back of Edward's seat and leaned over her to look into her eyes.

Edward wondered if he was trying to be intimidating. He should know it wouldn't work, because he had the same sharp eyes as Spike, and Edward had been looking Spike in the eye for four years.

"Sure," Edward told him. "The best and the worst people are in sector seventy-two. You'd blend in like a chameleon on a cactus."

"How the hell am I supposed to get to Earth?" Vicious asked, exhaling a long line of smoke as he spoke.

"We'll get you there-"

"Shut your mouth, kid," Spike demanded.

"You shut up," Vicious snapped back to Spike. "The kid's giving me more than you've gotten me in months. I want to listen to her."

"If Jet and Faye find you on the Bebop, they'll do worse than what will happen to you if you're found here," Spike argued.

Vicious turned towards Spike and their eyes met. After a brief battle of wills, Spike reached across the table and snatched the cigarette from Vicious' mouth and stuck it back in his own, cursing as he did so.

"Well?" Vicious demanded, turning back to Edward.

"Like I said, we'll take you to Earth. Spike's right, though. If Jet and Faye find you, they'll cut off your legs, gut you, and send your entrails into outer space."

Vicious turned his eyes back to Spike, who shook his head. "They'd just shoot you or something," he said flatly. And to Edward, he asked, "How do you expect to get him to Earth?"

"I can find a bounty there," Edward said with a shrug. "One that will make a trip to sector seventy-two worth while."

"It's nice to see you're making friends with people more useful than Jet Black and Faye Valentine," Vicious told Spike as he leaned back in the booth. "What's your name, kid?"

"Edward Wong Hau Pepelu Tivrusky IV," she answered.

Vicious turned to Spike again as if to confirm Edward's very existence, and Spike gave a shake of his head, as if to answer no, she's not real.


End file.
